…I’ve finished the Lone Wolf and Cub series. This is one of the best ‘comics’ I’ve ever read, up there with maus and Nausicaa. The art is fantastic and gives a wonderful glimpse into the architecture and trappings of daily life in midievel japanese culture. The story begins near the end of the samurai era under the Tokurawa shogunate. Ogami Itto, official executioner for the shogun, is pushed into a quest for revenge by treachery. What follows is an epic adventure across ancient japan, with over the top heroic combat, emotionally devastating tragedy, and wonderful insights into the japanese character and their (to western eyes) odd notions of honor and loyalty . I give it 5+ stars.